Dwarka: Morning walkers club for cleaner, greener neighbourhoods
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Dwarka: Morning walkers club for cleaner, greener neighbourhoods

Sector 7: Elderly citizens set an example and take it upon themselves to clean area behind societies like Kamal Vihar, Young Aheria, Harshuk, Rashi, Shri Niketan in Sector 7.

Dwarka: Morning walkers club for cleaner, greener neighbourhoods Members of the Morning Walkers' Club take a walk in Sector 7, Dwarka.

In Dwarka, often areas behind societies are not as clean as you would expect them to be. But if you came across that of Kamal Vihar, Young Aheria, Harsukh Apartments, Rashi or Shri Niketan in Sector 7 recently, you must have wondered how they were so clean and the greenery well maintained. After all, it’s a rare site in the sub city.

The secret behind the immaculate lanes and areas is a group called the ‘Morning walkers club,’ consisting mostly of elderly citizens from the above mentioned societies. Ravi Jaitley and LD Garg, residents of Harsukh Apartments and Rashi Apartments respectively and two of the core members of the group, share their story.

 

Photo shows the iron board that has the contact numbers (not visible in picture) of Ravi Jaitley and LD Garg.

 

"We started this initiative in 2015 after we noticed that the area was filthy and in a state of neglect. Some of us morning walkers discussed the issue and decided to form a group to do something about it. We began a campaign by circulating messages and notices in the lane where people go for walks. In those days, there were bushes all around the walking area, and, in some cases, covered almost 40 per cent of the road. Snakes could also be seen once in a while in the area,” says Jaitely.

He adds, “We approached all the agencies concerned, but to no effect. Finally, we took upon ourselves the cause of sanitation in the area. Bhagwan Singh Jamwal a senior citizen from Harsukh Apartments, guided us. Our core team includes LD Garg, SD Pershad and IS Khorana, all of them from Rashi Apartments, and me. We began working towards cleaning the area and gradually funds started flowing in from residents of Palam, Mahavir Enclave and those of nearby societies. Rakesh Mahajan, president of Shri Niketan, and KS Bhati of Harsukh Apartments were the driving force behind mobilising people. Today the area is being maintained through community participation.”

The members of the club circulate messages through phones, posters and meetings to spread awareness about the cause and update people about the work in progress. Any requirements and appeals to the community to come forward is also conveyed through messages. In fact, the club has put up a board too.

 

Photo shows the sign board put up by the club for posting notices and details of club members.

 

LD Garg says, “We have erected a board in the lane for posting notices and updates. We put on display the names of members, their apartments and areas. As their number increases, we add the new names and paste a fresh notice. To foster communication and enable joining of new members, we have hung an iron board with Ravi Jaitely’s and my contact numbers. In effect, we are trying to mobilise the community for a clean and green area.”

Some youngsters have also shown interest and have joined the group. According to members of the club, the community has begun to appreciate their efforts and people are inclined towards being part of the initiative. Jaitely says, “After seeing the efforts of the club and its results in a year, people started noticing us. This is a good sign. We hope that more people would take cue from us and start making small efforts in their own areas.”

 

Members of the club pose for a photo.